Mike Corthell

Editor & Publisher at Fryeburg Free Press MEDIA

Monday, January 3, 2011

How tough are we?

''...I just mentioning natural disasters. What if – yes, what if – those threatened terrorist attacks occur? How would we handle that?Why do we assume everything will be in perfect working order within hours or a day and if it isn't, all hell will fall on the person unlucky enough to be the head of government?''

I think the real issue is whether Americans are equipped to handle dire emergencies.What will people do when something like this happens again? And it will.What if a major hurricane savages the city, floods streets and subways, shorting out electrical circuits?Would they expect immediate repairs? Judging by what's happening now, they would.What if there was a major blackout? How would New Yorkers – or Americans anywhere – react if the power went out in their town and lasted for days?What if a major earthquake cut off everything? It's possible.Californians are regularly warned that when "the big one" occurs, they should expect to be without fire, police or emergency services for up to two weeks or more.They'll probably have no electricity, gas, water or other utilities.Stores will be out of food and supplies, gas stations unable to pump fuel and roads and bridges damaged.Could average Americans handle it? Are they prepared for such emergencies?I think not. Read more: How tough are we?http://www.wnd.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=246761#ixzz19xmM8CBN